Fallen
by Alice O'flynn
Summary: What will happen when Chat decides to visit Marinette after a patrol? Set after the events of the Evillustrator. What will unfold? Will they fall in love? Will Chat's secret identity get in the way? And will they ever figure out who the other really is?
1. Chapter 1

**I find this almost needless to say, but I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, and probably never will.**

It started with the Evillustrator. Well, more accurately, it started with Nathanael's sketches. That was what made Adrien start to notice the shy girl who sat in class behind him. He had met her before, but she usually escaped his notice. He had tried to talk to her before, but she always seemed so flustered whenever he spoke to her. He knew she was shy, she didn't really like to draw attention to herself in class, but still, he had at least expected her to be able to form a complete sentence around him. When it was the four friends together, Adrien, Nino, Marinette, and Alya, Marinette didn't seem to speak at all. It was Alya who did all the talking in those situations. And for Adrien, the saying "Out of sight, out of mind," often rang true, since he was so concentrated on his school work, that he did not spare so much as a thought for the shy girl behind him. That all changed, though. That one day was when everything turned upside down for the blond model.

What caused him to think of the quiet girl, was the sketches that Nathanael made of her. When he saw the sketches fall out, his eyes were drawn to them. He saw the girl expertly sketched in the arms of…. A superhero version of Nathanael. Although he knew Nathanael was imagining himself as a superhero, the character drawn looked oddly like an Akuma. Even though he barely knew the shy girl, he wouldn't want her anywhere near an akuma victim. He felt oddly protective of the shy girl. But he also started to wonder, Would Marinette fall in love with Nathanael if he was a superhero? Would she fall in love with me, if she knew he was Chat Noir? Wait, where did that come from? He wondered, It's not like I have a crush on Marinette…. She just…. Interests me.

He thought about Marinette for the rest of class, not being able to figure her out. His mind was so occupied with the questions she brought to his mind, that he couldn't even focus on his school work. After school was done, Adrien was in the Library, trying to catch up on the school work he got behind in, and trying to convince himself to stop thinking about the girl who was filling his mind. He was all set to check a few books out, and go home, when suddenly an Akuma appeared. Seeming to attack Chole. He transformed as quickly as he could, and jumped into action. But Ladybug was already there. There was something eerie about this villain…. Adrien was sure he had seen him before. But that couldn't be, could it.

The Evillustrator, as the villain was called, escaped the two superheros by drawing a clear wall to block them. After he escaped, they followed Chloe to her apartment, knowing the Evillustrator would likely come after her again. Chloe was trying to hang all over Ladybug, but she was not having it. Ladybug was angry, Adrien could tell. And although he was annoyed when she left him to deal with Chloe all by himself, he understood. Chloe had gotten on his nerves as well.

Thank Goodness, Adrien thought, when Ladybug called him. "You can't just fly out of here, and then decide to make cat calls, Ladybug!" He said, his voice playful, but he was glad to be talking to someone other than Chloe. Ladybug told him he didn't have to protect Chloe anymore, and he gave a small sigh of relief. But then she said she needed someone else protected. Please don't let it be Marinette, Please don't let it be Marinette. He thought to himself, hoping out of any names, she would not say the one who was on his mind. But his silent pleas didn't work. That was the person Ladybug wanted him to protect.

"Pretty cute, isn't she?" Ladybug said. Yeah… That's one way to describe her…. But why is Ladybug saying it? Wait, why is she in need of protection?

"The Evillustrator is in love with her, and promised not to harm Chloe as long as Marinette comes to his birthday party." She told him, and he nodded, though he knew she couldn't see it. He said his goodbye to Chloe, and made his way quickly to the Dupan-Cheng Bakery. Arriving just in time to see Chloe's lacky (for lack of a better description) yelling at Marinette.

Well, that went….. That was certainly not what he expected. He had expected Marinette to be the same shy, stuttering girl around Chat Noir, as she was around Adrien. But she wasn't. Yes, she was putting on an act, pretending to be swooning over him. But he could tell that it was just an act. She seemed so different. Confident, Brave, Witty, all the things that he would have probably seen in her, if they actually talked in school. But she was so shy….. The worst part about it, though, was that she told him how to do his job. It was a big hit on his pride. She saved him, instead of him saving her. That's what got to him most. A civilian… The shy, retiring civilian who had occupied his mind all day…. Told part of Paris' foremost superhero duo, how to do his job.

He had to admit that he couldn't keep her out of his mind. Her sparkling blue bell eyes, and sassy smile occupied his thoughts. What he couldn't understand, was why she would talk to Chat Noir, but not to Adrien. She had the opposite reaction than he would expect. She should be able to talk, and be sassy with Adrien. And be stuttering around Chat Noir. He wanted to get to know her better, she surprised him. But since she was unable to say an entire sentence with Adrien, he would have to get to know her as Chat Noir.

One week. One week after the events of the Evillustrator, Chat Noir chose to visit Marinette. He knew she had a bad day at school, and wanted to make sure she was alright. And since he saw her light go on when he was passing by the bakery, after a quiet patrol with Ladybug, he couldn't stop himself from visiting her.

She had just returned home from patrol, and had let out her transformation only moments before.

"Oh, Tikki, I'm exhausted." She said to her kwami. Not only did she have a bad day at school, but she also had taken over the bakery for a few hours. She wanted her parents to have a chance to go out, so she told them she could handle it. She thought she could, but there were some very demanding customers, and although she bent over backwards, some of the customers weren't happy no matter what. So by the time she was done with patrol, she was almost too tired to stand. She changed into her pajamas, and started to brush her hair, before she noticed the leather clad figure on her balcony, looking out at the stars.

Why is he here? Marinette asked herself, heading onto her balcony. Hoping there wasn't something wrong. She watched him for a few moments, and he seemed very peaceful. So it couldn't be anything dangerous. The moon glinting off his blond hair is beautiful…. I wonder what Adrien's hair looks like under the moon.

"Hello, Kitty," She said, and Chat spun around, with a smile upon his face.

"Good evening Purr-incess." He purred, taking a small step towards her.

"To what can I attribute the pleasure of your visit?" Marinette asked, still trying to figure out the reason behind the sudden visit.

"You interest me." He took another step towards her, and she took a step back. What did he think he was doing? She wondered. "You are different than other girls….. So different. And you did help me out with the Evillustrator."

"I really didn't do anything," She said, trying to act the part of a star struck fan. Yeah right, I totally told you how to do your job. She laughed in her mind. Her eyes started to droop, now that she was over the surprise of Chat's visit, and all she wanted to do was fall asleep.

"You look tired," Chat smiled at Marinette. "Long day?"

"Yeah, school was hard. Then I had to run the bakery for my parents this afternoon. I'm so tired." She said, taking a stumbling step towards Chat, and going to rest her head on his shoulder. She put her arms around his arm, hugging it close to her. He felt his entire body go warm with her touch, and he was glad she didn't she the scarlet blush on his face. He had never felt this way before, even with Ladybug. Her presence warmed him.

"I'm sorry I disturbed you. May I visit you again tomorrow, when you are not so tired? I would like to get to know you better, Princess." He said, not having the heart to take her arms off of him. But he knew she needed to go to bed.

"Sure Chat, you can come by tomorrow." She said, too tired to think. Though she made no move from his shoulder. He, sadly, took her arms away from around him, and picked her up like a baby, carrying her down, into her room, and placing her on her bed. He turned off the lights, and gave her a kiss on the forehead, after making sure she was asleep.

"See you tomorrow, Marinette," He said, his voice warm. He liked how he felt around her. She warmed his heart, and he felt his heart pound harder whenever he thought of her. He was most definitely going to visit her as Chat again. He didn't know why, even though he barely knew her, he felt excited about the thought of seeing her again. He left her room, and headed home.

"Tikki?" Marinette said, waking up groggy the next morning.

"Good morning Marinette," Tikki said, smiling at the girl.

"What happened last night? I remember Chat Noir's visit, but I don't remember him leaving….. Did…. Did I fall asleep on him?"

"You did, Marinette."

"Oh no."

"There's something else you should know."

"What is it, Tikki?"

"You gave him permission to visit you tonight."

"I did?" Marinette asked, and her kwami nodded. "What have I done, Tikki? Chat Noir? I mean, seriously?"

"It will be alright, Marinette. He just wants to get to know you."

"Okay… I guess." She said, getting up, so that she could get ready for school.

That's how it all started. One simple visit, that turned into two, that turned into three, until Chat was visiting Marinette every single night. Each day, after their patrol, Marinette waited in her room for Chat. Sometimes with a bakery treat, or a hot drink. He always enjoyed his time with her, and she enjoyed it as well. Though, if you asked her, she would have said he was just a good friend. She didn't want to admit anything else. But if you went into her room, you would notice the pictures of Adrien disappeared from her room, instead, if you looked hard, there was a single picture of Chat Noir on her desk. Hidden away whenever he was there to visit. And she couldn't deny the tugging at her heart, whenever she was around him. She would never have admitted it, though, especially not to her best friend, Alya, or her Tikki, her kwami.

Adrien was surprised how quickly he had fallen for his shy classmate. He found himself looking forward to their visits together. The thought of them made his photoshoots bearable. And whenever the photographer asked him to smile, all he had to do was envision her bluebell eyes, and the smile came naturally to him.

Marinette started treating Adrien differently at school, and he wondered why. He couldn't understand. She didn't stutter around him anymore, but she also didn't seem to be around him as much. But she wasn't the only one who treated him differently. Ladybug seemed to be behaving oddly. Which seemed to start when he told her about his visits to Marinette. But then again, he was behaving differently around her. He had stopped flirting with her entirely, and seemed like a whole new cat.

"Tikki," Marinette said, one night after Chat's visit. She could no longer keep quiet. "I think I'm falling in love with Chat."

"You wouldn't be the first." Tikki smiled, taking another bite of her chocolate chip cookie, before continuing. "Why do you look so upset?"

"I never meant for this to happen. I didn't want to fall in love with him. He's Chat. He's just so…. So…"

"So what?"

"So annoying, and frustrating, and absolutely loveable." Marinette said, with a sweet smile. "I've really got it bad, don't I?"

"Are you going to tell him?"

"No, I can't, I just can't."

"You can, I know it. You're brave."

"But only when I'm Ladybug. Without the mask, I'm not brave at all. I'm just shy, clumsy, uninteresting Marinette."

"You're not uninteresting. And true bravery doesn't lay in fighting villains, and saving the world. But facing things every day that scare you. You're brave, with, or without the mask."

"Thank you….. But….. But what if I make a fool of myself?"

"He cares for you. All you have to do is be yourself. You'll be fine." Tikki said, but still saw worry in the girl's eyes. "I promise."

"Ugg…" Marinette said, dropping her head to her desk. Her talk with Tikki didn't help her much. She didn't…. Couldn't sleep for most of the night. Most of her night was spent checking the Ladyblog, knowing that her best friend would likely quiz her on it. Her head started to ache around 2:30 a.m. Her throat was sore, as well, and her nose runny. She felt absolutely horrible.

Marinette fell asleep around five thirty in the morning, having not moved from her desk yet. "Tikki…." She said, before falling asleep. "Remind me to not stay up this late, I feel awful."

"Sure thing, Marinette." The kwami replied, tired as well.


	2. Chapter 2

**Again, probably needless to say, I don't own Miraculous Ladybug.**

It was an hour after school was suppose to start, that Sabine went up to check on her daughter. She hadn't seen her that morning, and wondered if she had even made it to school. Her daughter seemed more exhausted with regular activities recently. And most often didn't wake up until thirty minutes before school was suppose to start. So, she was surprised with not seeing her daughter rush out of the house fifteen minutes before school started. She had thought her daughter left early, but when she got a call from the school, saying that Marinette hadn't shown up yet, she chose to check up on her. She saw Marinette slumped in her chair, with her head on her desk.

"Marinette, It's time for school." Sabine said to her daughter, as she saw her asleep on her desk. Marinette looked up at her mother with bleary eyes. Her nose was red, and she didn't even have a slight smile on her face.

"Okay mom," She said, her voice hoarse, as she dropped her head back down on her desk. "I'll (cough) get (cough) ready." Sabine went over to her daughter's desk, and placed her hand at Marinette's neck.

"You're not going." Sabine said. "You have a fever," She pulled the unwilling girl out of the chair, and lead her to her bed. "Lay down, I'll call the school, and tell them you're sick."

"It's alright, I can still go." Marinette croaked, as she pulled her blankets around herself.

"No, you're not going." Sabine said, leaving her daughter in her room.

Adrien was on edge during the school day, it started when he noticed his favorite classmate was missing. The entire day he was distracted by the empty seat behind him. He could feel the lack of warmth. Missing his source of warmth, his own personal sun…. His Marinette. His mind was blank of everything, except the girl who wasn't there. And he made up his mind to visit her that evening.

Marinette fell in and out of consciousness during that day, feeling absolutely awful. Around one o'clock she checked her phone, and saw that there were several texts from Alya.

'Where are you M?' 'Class has started, you're usually not this late' 'M, is something wrong' 'Come on, girl, what's going on?' 'Did something happen? Are you hurt? Ill? I need to know' 'Come on, M, answer me'

Marinette felt bad about making her friend panic, so she texted back as soon as she could. 'Sorry, Alya. My mom kept me home from school today. I'm alright, no need to worry.' She texted, glad that it wasn't a call, so Alya wouldn't hear the croak of her voice. She would never be able to play off being fine, if Alya could hear her.

'I'm coming over once school's out' was the reply she got from Alya. Apparently even over text, the girl knew her best friend too well.

'No, please, I don't want you to get sick,' Marinette typed back, hoping to keep Alya away for her own health. 'Girl, I'm coming, whether you like it or not.' Alya texted back, then went phone silent.

Marinette got up, and walked over to her window. Her head was pounding, as she chose to rest her head against the glass. It was cold, and felt very nice against her burning skin. She could hear the rain pounding against the glass. Hear it rather than see it, because her vision was still foggy, and she was too close to the glass. _It is raining too hard to patrol,_ she thought gratefully, then she wouldn't have to try and patrol with how she was feeling. But the second thought that came into her mind she was not happy about. _Chat won't visit me in this rain._

Marinette slumped against the window, and closed her eyes. Hoping the cold from the air would seep through her, and quell her fever. Her mother entered her room, and was taken aback by the sight. Sabine knew her daughter should be in bed, so to find her slumped onto the window confused her.

"Let's get you back to bed," Sabine said, pulling her daughter away from the window. Marinette was too weak to fight against it, so she went along with her mother. She lay back on her bed, obeying her mother, and falling asleep almost instantly.

Alya looked over her texts for the twentieth time that day. Thankful that Marinette finally got back to her. Although not so happy to hear that Marinette was sick. Especially because Marinette's first thought, was to be concerned for Alya's health, should she chose to visit. It was just like her friend to be so selfless. Alya let out an annoyed sigh, when she looked at her phone. Telling her friend in no uncertain terms that she would still visit.

Adrien heard the grumble from behind him, and looked at it's source with an inquisitive look. 'Marinette' she mouthed, and he understood. Well, sort of. He could see that Alya was missing Marinette's presence just as much as he was. Adrien took a piece of paper, and quickly wrote a note to Alya. He placed it on the desk behind him, hoping Alya would read it.

'Do you know why she isn't in school?' he had written. He hoped to hear a response back, and was glad to hear the scratching of a pencil on paper behind him. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and he looked back to see the brown haired girl holding a piece of paper towards him. He took it, and opened it.

'Yeah. She's sick. She didn't want me to come over because she doesn't want me to get sick.' The note read. _What am I going to do with her?_ He thought to himself, Marinette wasn't thinking of herself even when she was sick.

'But that won't stop you, will it?' He scribbled, then handed the note back to Alya.

'Yep' she wrote back to him. He was happy to know she had such good friends. He also made his own plans to visit her later that night.

It was barely dark when Chat Noir dropped onto Marinette's balcony. He spent only a few moments pacing, before knocking on the trap door, as he always did.

"Come in," Marinette said, her voice hoarse. She propped herself up on her bed with a groan. She wished she could get up, but she wasn't feeling good enough.

"Good Evening Princess," Chat said, with a smile. He thought she was utterly adorable with her messy hair, and tired eyes. "How are you this evening?"

"Sick," She said with a groan, and Chat frowned. "I thought the rain would keep you away." She seemed to be speaking to herself.

"Nothing could keep me from my princess." He said, with another smile. "I'm here now, to take care of you. If you need anything, just tell me what to do."

"I'm good, Chaton. You don't need to do anything for me." Marinette said, with a smile. _He is so sweet._ She thought to herself. "And you shouldn't stay,"

"Why not, Princess?" Chat asked, a bit of hurt in his eyes.

"I don't want you to get sick," Marinette said, "You need to protect Paris," Chat brushed her hair off her forehead, and gave her a kiss.

"What was that for?" She asked, wondering at what he did. And scared at the fact that her heart leapt when he did.

"Just checking your temperature." Chat said, smirking at her again.

"You could have just used your hands."

"I have gloves, remember."

"You really shouldn't do that…. I don't want you to get sick, remember."

"I'm not worried about that."

"You should be, though."

"I actually like your germs."

"Be serious, Kitty,"

"Oh, I am. And I'm going to prove it to you." Chat said, before pressing his lips to hers. Marinette melted inside when their lips collided, and she went limp into the arms that surrounded her. Chat pulled away from the kiss, to make sure Marinette had not fainted.

 **Sorry that this is such a short chapter, but I thought this would be a good place to end it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not, and will never own Miraculous Ladybug**

 **This is my first time trying to write an Akuma, so, I'm sorry if it doesn't make sense. I hope you are enjoying the story. And thank you for reading.**

It was hard for Marinette to keep her relationship with Chat from her best friend. But she was doing her best. Whenever Alya asked Marinette about Adrien, she avoided the question. But Alya could tell something was off with her friend. It was obvious to her that the girl stopped staring at the model. But the strange thing was, she started noticing Adrien staring at her friend. She tried to get the scoop from Marinette, but she didn't admit to anything.

Adrien found it hard not to stare at Marinette at school. She was everything he loved in Ladybug, but even more. Not only did Marinette have the sass, and confidence that his lady did, but she was also sweet, kind, and brave. He was completely and totally in love with his princess.

Everything seemed to be working out for Marinette and Chat Noir, for the first two weeks. But then it happened. A citizen had seen Chat Noir landing on Marinette's balcony, and posted it online. It had the headline: 'Has Chat Noir moved on from Ladybug?'

Marinette was fuming when she saw it. _At least it's not on the Ladyblog. If it had been, I would kill her._ Marinette thought. Still, this was bad. Now people would know she was in a relationship with a superhero. Which put her in more danger than she would have wanted. _But at least I can take care of myself,_ She thought. _This won't be fatal… Unless Alya kills me for not telling her._

Marinette met up with Alya on the way to school. And noticed the death glare her best friend gave her. It scared her, but she put on a brave face. _How am I going to do this?_ She wondered, wanting to turn and run.

"Girl, why didn't you tell me?" Alya asked.

"I was going to, but he told me to keep it a secret. He wanted to keep me safe. He's just so sweet that way." Marinette said, hoping Alya would believe it. Chat Noir did tell her to keep it secret, to keep her safe. But she knew to keep it secret before he told her, since she knew how vulnerable it would make her.

"Are you in danger because of it?" Alya asked, seeming more like a mother, than a best friend.

"I don't know, I'm pretty sure I'll be alright."

"If he puts you in danger, he'll be one dead cat." Marinette giggled.

"Alya, it will be okay, I can take care of myself."

"Anyway, tell me the deets? What's he really like?"

"Well, he's charming, kind, puts others first," Marinette said, with a swoon. "And Handsome,"

"You've got it bad girl. So… That's why you've been different around Adrien."

"Yeah," Marinette said with a guilty smile. _That went better than expected._

Adrien was scrolling through the news on his phone, on his way to school. He froze when he saw the picture of him on Marinette's balcony. How could he let this happen? This put Marinette in danger. What was he going to do? How was he going to fix this? _Maybe I won't have to do anything too drastic…. I hope._

The Akuma went straight for her, he watched with dread in his eyes. He was on his way to transform, when he saw him approaching her. "Plagg, Claws Out," He yelled, as soon as he was hidden enough. When he got back to the courtyard, he saw Marinette in the middle, trying to talk to the akuma who was in front of her. The Akuma had a sharp arrow aimed straight for her chest. He didn't think, he just jumped. He landed on the Akuma, throwing off the aim, but not enough. As he caught the Akuma beneath him, he could hear Marinette's sharp intake of breath.

The arrow had cut through Marinette's side, making her fall to her knees. Chat hissed at the Akuma, before jumping up, and running over to Marinette. He picked her up, and ran her into the school's nurse's office. He lay her on the bed, and told her to stay put, before he headed out to fight the akuma again.

The Akuma, The Archer, was upset because he had lost a sports competition he had competed in that day, and his girlfriend had broken up with him because of it. Hawkmoth had caught him right after. The Archer was all to happy to get Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous. And when Hawkmoth told him that the easiest way to get to Chat Noir, was through his girlfriend, Marinette. That's why the Archer went straight for Marinette. Everyone had been screaming, and running, everyone but her. She was trying to talk to The Archer, trying to help him without force. When Chat saw that, he was angry, seething. His brave girl put herself in danger, to try and help.

Marinette only lay on the bed for about a minute, before she got up again, ready to jump into action. When she stood up, she felt dizzy, her hands went to her side, and she felt blood. She knew she couldn't fight like that, so she found some gauze, and wrapped it tightly round her abdomen.

"That should do it," She said to herself.

"Marinette, are you sure you can go into battle right now? You need to rest . If you aren't even able to stand up, how will you fight?" Tikki said, concerned for the girl.

"I have to go into battle. Chat needs me. I can't leave it to him. After all, I'm the only one who can purify the akumas." Marinette said, looking down at her disapproving kwami. "I'll be alright." She said, but Tikki still didn't seem convinced. She didn't have time to waste arguing with her kwami. "Tikki, Spots on," She said, and transformed into ladybug. The wrap around her waist, and the tightness of the suit helped her, compressing her wound, and stopped the soon was able to join Chat in the fight. When she entered the courtyard, she saw Chat leaping away from the arrows. She saw dozens of discarded arrows on the ground.

"Did you miss me, kitty?" She said, with sass, and he smiled back at her. Although she could see an underlying sadness in his eyes.

"Nope, I've been handling this just fine until you arrived." He smirked at her, as another arrow came whizzing right between them.

"Where do you think the akuma is?"

"Probably in his bow." Chat said, while jumping out of the way of another arrow.

 _But how will we get to it?_ Ladybug wondered. "Lucky Charm" She shouted, as Chat was protecting her, batting off arrows with his baton. What fell from the sky was a framed picture of a couple. She started at it for a moment, before it started flashing red and black. Then she looked towards the Archer, and he started flashing those colors as well. "Oh, Oh,"

"You have a plan, Bug?" Chat called.

"Yep," Ladybug said, before holding up the photo. "Hey, Archer, Look at me" She yelled, and his eyes snapped to her, then to the photo. He angrily rushed towards the duo, and Chat was able to use Cataclysm on the bow. Ladybug purified the Akuma, and cleansed the damage. She felt a slight stabbing pain in her side, before she felt herself heal. Ladybug and Chat Noir did their typical fist bump, before Ladybug ran off.

By the time Chat got to the nurse's office, he saw Marinette standing up. She seemed a little wobbly, but nothing worse. And he could see gauze surrounding her, the side of it being tinged red.

"Marinette, you shouldn't be standing. I need to get you to the hospital." Chat said, frantic at the sight of her blood.

"I'm alright. Ladybug must have fixed it. It doesn't even hurt anymore." She said, and saw a look of relief on his face.

"Don't ever do that again, please. From now on, don't stand up to the akumas on your own. It could have been much worse." Chat said, pulling Marinette into a tight hug.

"I promise." She said, and they parted ways, so chat could change back.

Now Adrien had to make a decision. He had seen today how the Akuma headed straight for her. She was in danger…. Because of him. Because he loved her. He had put her in danger, and he had to change it. He had to save her. But the only way he could keep her out of danger, was to keep his distance. The only way he could save her, was by breaking her heart.

Chat didn't visit Marinette that night, he had to steel his resolve. The next night, he visited, but was emotionally distant. If he did not shut off his emotions, he could not get through it. He had to break the heart of the girl he loved. And he had to promise never to see her again. The only consolation he could have, was that they were in the same class at school. That mean he would be able to see her every day, even though he couldn't be close to her. He had to give her up, to save her.

"Good Evening, Chat." Marinette said, a smile on her face. "I missed you last night."

"I was busy," His response was cold.

"What's wrong, Chaton? You don't sound like yourself."

"I need to talk to you,"

"What about, Minou?"

"I-I can't visit you anymore."

"Why not? What's wrong?"

"It's not safe."

"I'm not worried about that, I can take care of myself, I can protect myself."

"You shouldn't have to, I shouldn't have put you in danger by visiting you. I've been selfish."

"No…. I wanted you here. I'll be alright. I promise."

"I can't take that chance. I've come to say goodbye."

"No, Please, No. We can work this out." Marinette pleaded. Her heart was already breaking. _Why is he doing this to me? Why is he trying to leave?_ She wondered. _Does he…. Does he no longer love me?_

"No, we can't. I can't visit you anymore. That's all." He said, sounding frustrated.

"But I love you," She squeaked out, tears starting to form in her eyes. It was almost too much for him. But her safety was more important than anything else. And he had to look away. He couldn't do this anymore. He had to leave.

"Goodbye," She grabbed onto his costume, not going to let him leave.

"Just tell me, do you love me? Please tell me, do you love me?" She said, panicked.

"No," He lied, removing her hands from his arm.

"Never?" Her voice was broken now.

"Never," He hated himself for lying, but he had to. He had to break her heart, to let her heal, to protect her. He quickly let her room, and propelled himself towards his house. He got into his room, and untransformed. He angrily threw himself onto his bed, cursing himself for having to do it.


	4. Final chapter

**I do not, and will never own Miraculous Ladybug.**

 **Thank you all for you good reviews. I hope you enjoy the final chapter, and end of our series.**

Marinette sunk down to the ground, still looking after her Chat. Tears streamed down her face, and fell down onto the floor. _He never loved me? I knew it, I just knew it. Who could ever love such an uninteresting person as I am. Such a clumsy and dull schoolgirl. Especially because he has girls from all over Paris throwing themselves at him. How could I have been so foolish to believe he could actually care for me? What about the kisses? The times he told me he loved me? Were they all lies? I was a fool._

"Marinette," Tikki's concerned voice broke through Marinette's thoughts.

"I'm a fool," The girl cried.

"No you're not, Marinette."

"I am, Tikki. I fell with a flirt, someone who was only playing me."

"Marinette."

"I can't talk about this anymore. Please leave me alone." She curled up on her bed, crying into her cat pillow.

"Do you believe Chat could really be so callous? You've known him for so long," Tikki's encouraging voice said.

"Please stop, Tikki, I can't stand it."

"Alright, Marinette, as you wish." Tikki said, before going quiet.

Marinette stayed up all night, crying. She wasn't able to sleep at all. All night, she repeated the same two words over and over again. "Oh, chat." It was seven in the morning when Marinette got up from her bed. Her entire body was sore.

"Good morning, Marinette." Tikki said, rubbing her eyes. At least she was able to sleep. "You look tired, did you sleep at all?"

"No," The girl said, slumping down on her bed. "But I need to get to school."

"You can't go to school like this. It won't help you, you'd not be able to focus." Tikki's concern was evident.

"But I need to…."

"You can ask Alya for notes. It's better than showing up in your condition." Marinette agreed with her kwami, laying back down on her bed.

Adrien was concerned when he didn't see Marinette in class. He was hoping that he would at least be able to see her. _She'll never know how much I hate myself for lying to her. She'll never know how much I love her. What have I done to her? Why isn't she here? It can't just be a coincidence._ All through the day, he kept checking up on the empty spot behind him. But each time, she wasn't there.

Marinette didn't sleep during the day, either. Her lack of sleep was affecting her badly. She felt sick, sick to her stomach. Not only that, she felt broken as well. She tossed and turned all day. Never being fully comfortable. That was the problem of her mind, not her body. She couldn't think of anything else but her Chat. She was finally able fall asleep on the second night.

Even though she slept, Marinette didn't go to school the next day. She couldn't pull herself together enough to bear school. It was three days before Marinette returned to school. But when she did, she was different. You could see how broken she was. There was no longer the light in her eyes that use to be there. There was no longer a warmth, the warmth everyone loved about her. She was almost lifeless, in comparison to how she use to be.

 _This is what I've done to her,_ Adrien thought, cursing himself again. He missed the light in her eyes, the smile on her face. He missed who she was before he broke her.

That afternoon, during lunch break, an Akuma showed up. Marinette cursed her bad luck. She would have to work with Chat. She transformed, and arrived at the scene of the akuma.

The fight went bad. Ladybug didn't even look at Chat Noir. She tried to do everything herself, which got her in trouble. She was getting really beat up by the akuma, and by the time she had captured the akuma, and cured everything, she was exhausted. Which was really bad, because they were near the to of the eiffel tower fighting the akuma. Ladybug's exhaustion caused her to step wrong, and slipped. She started falling down, her arms and legs flailing in the air. She tried to save herself, but she couldn't. Chat jumped, trying to save his Lady, but he was too slow. Her body was falling too fast, and when he got close to her, her flailing arms only seemed to beat him away, though she wasn't trying to do it.

Ladybug's back hit the ground with a sickening thud, followed by the back of her head. Everything went dark for a moment, then stayed blurry. But even with her blurry vision, she could see Chat Noir coming closer to her. He picked her up with ease. She didn't want to be there, though. She hated how she felt in his arms. She hated how warm, and strong his arms were. She hated the way her heart lurched when she was close to him.

"Put me down," She said, weakly. "Get away from me." Her words sounded hurt. Which Chat didn't understand. Even though she didn't seem to want him near her, he had to take care of her. He kept his arms around her tightly. "Ple…" She started saying, but lost consciousness.

Adrien didn't know where to take her, but he knew that she would soon lose her transformation. He had to get her somewhere safe. Somewhere hidden. He took her into a nearby alley way, and laid her down for a little time. He started to check her injuries, taking inventory of all the cuts and bruises she got from the battle. He put his hand under her head, and felt blood. He was worried for her, very worried.

He heard the sound of her detransforming, but didn't look down at her. He put his hands out to catch her kwami, knowing he would have to see the girl behind the mask very soon. If he could avoid it, he would have. He knew that she didn't want him to know it, but now it was unavoidable. It wasn't like he could simply leave her there.

"Chat Noir," A small voice broke him out of his thoughts. He looked into his hands, where the voice was coming from. Still avoiding looking at the girl. In his hands, he held Ladybug's kwami.

"Will she be alright? What will happen to her?" He almost croaked, worry making his voice break.

"She'll heal," Tikki sid, giving Chat a pat on his head. She was trying to comfort him, he could tell. And there was a sad look in her eyes that was unmistakable. He gave her a sad smile, preparing himself to see the girl behind the mask.

He looked down at the still form that shared the alley with him. HIs Ladybug. When he looked down, his heart stopped, and his throat went dry. _If only it was me who was injured, not her._ He thought. When his heart started beating again, his blood was cold. He got up, lifting the girl's body up with him, holding her in his arms again.

He held her body close to his, as he propelled himself over the tops of buildings. He made it to her parents bakery, and almost broke down the door to get in. Her parents rushed to him, when they saw their girl in his arms.

"I found her…. On the ground… she needs…." He tried to talk, but his tears caught in his throat, and he was unable to speak.

"Marinette," Sabine tried to coax, but the girl stayed still.

"Hospital…. We should get her to the hospital." Adrien was finally able to say, Tom and Sabien nodded. Tom took Marinette from Chat's arms, and Sabien called the ambulance. Chat left, knowing he could not stay there as Chat forever. He went to the outside alley, and detransfomed, entering the Dupan-Cheng bakery again as Adrien. Under the pretense of wanting to buy some croissants. When he showed his concern for Marinette, Tom and Sabine invited him to stay with him, and wait for the ambulance. He agreed, thankful that they were so willing to let him stay near her.

As they sat in they sat in the waiting room, Adrien was getting more frustrated with himself. He had done this. He had broken his sweet girl, and because of that, she didn't accept his help in the battle. She tried to do it all on her own, which lead to her getting hurt. It seemed like so long before he was able to sit next to his Marinette, but he was finally allowed to do it. And he let out a sigh of relief when he was near him, hearing her heartbeat through the heart monitor, telling him that she was still alive.

Marinette had a splitting headache. She kept her eyes closed, knowing that if she opened them, the light would make her head feel worse. She could hear the noises around her, but couldn't quite make them out yet. Things were starting to clear, just a bit, though her head was still killing her.

"Marinette," She heard Chat whisper, and she squirmed. She didn't really want him near her. She loved him, but she didn't want him close, since he broke her heart. He broke her. She hated him, and she hated how much she loved him. "Marinette," He whispered again, and again she squirmed against his voice. "Marinette, Please wake up."

Adrien watched Marinette start squirming, hoping that meant she would wake up soon. She seemed to move whenever she heard his voice. His heart sank when he realized she was trying to get away from him. She didn't want him there.

"I'm sorry, Marinette." Chat said, and Marinette stopped squirming. _What, do you think an apology can fix everything? Or is it that you just feel guilty now that I'm injured?_ She thought daggers at him.

"I know an apology won't even begin to come close to making up for what I put you through." Adrien said to her, hoping she could hear him. "It's my fault, I broke your heart, It's my fault you got injured. I should have never told you that I didn't love you. I do. I love you to the depths of my heart, My Lady. I love you more than I can say." He hoped saying this would make her willing to forgive him, no matter how sappy he was, it was true. "I lied, and for that, I'm sorry. I lied to protect you. I lied so that you wouldn't be in danger because of me. I wanted to keep you safe. I made a horrible decision, which caused us both so much pain. I failed you, I don't blame you if you never want to speak to me again. If you never want to forgive me. But I need…. I needed to tell you that I love you."

Marinette's heart melted at his words. There was no way she wouldn't forgive him. He was pouring his heart out to her, and she would take it. _He… HE loves me…. He really loves me._

"I was an idiot, a complete and utter idiot." Chat said, and Marinette squirmed again.

"Shut up, Silly Kitty, I'm trying to sleep." She said, her voice heavy. She heard Chat give a breathy, relieved laugh. "I told you to shut up. I'm trying to sleep over here." She moved her hand, trying to keep him quiet, every time he spoke, her head hurt more. She moved her hand around, until she touched the bare skin of his hand. She had expected to feel the cool leather of his costume. This was Chat, her chat, yet still a civilian. If she opened her eyes, she would see the person she loved, just without the mask this time.

"You're awake," He laughed, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Yes, I'm awake, and I forgive you. Now please just let me go back to sleep." She curled up onto her side, facing towards chat's voice.

"You forgive me?" Adrien asked the girl, noting that she still hadn't opened her eyes.

"Yes, I forgive you, Silly Cat," She said with a smile. "I understand that it's dangerous for me to be in love with a superhero, but I can take care of myself….. But….. Maybe, it doesn't have to be so dangerous."

"What do you mean?"

"You know who I am….. If I know who you are, we can still be together, and it be perfectly safe."

"I really am an idiot…. Why didn't I think of that?"

"I don't know." Marinette smiled again.

"Then, if you want to know who I am, open your eyes." He said, with a smile in his voice. Marinette opened her eyes slowly, prepared for whomever it could be. Her mouth fell open when she saw Adrien sitting in front of her.

"A-Adrien?" She stuttered, surprised.

"I love you, Princess," He said, before she could say anything else.

"I love you too, Chaton." She replied, squeezing his hand.


End file.
